Selection Report: Discovery Indigenous 2017

[TOC]

Overview

The Discovery Indigenous scheme provides funding to support research programmes led by an Indigenous Australian researcher and builds the research capacity of higher degree research and early career researchers.

The objectives of Discovery Indigenous are to:

• support excellent basic and applied research and research training by Indigenous Australian researchers as individuals and as teams;
• develop the research expertise of Indigenous Australian researchers;
• support and retain established Indigenous Australian researchers in Australian higher education institutions; and
• expand Australia’s knowledge base and research capability.

Selection Process

Proposals for funding commencing in 2017 opened on 3 February 2016, and closed on 31 March 2016. Proposals were submitted through the Australian Research Council (ARC) Research Management System (RMS). This report outlines recommendations from the selection process for that round.

Funding recommendations have been prepared for submission to the Acting Chief Executive Officer (CEO). The recommendations are based on advice from the ARC College of Experts which:

• assigned independent assessors to review the proposals
• assessed proposals and reviewed assessments made by independent assessors
• reviewed Applicants’ comments on assessors’ reports
• ranked each proposal relative to the others on the basis of the proposal, the assessors’ reports and Applicants’ responses to those assessments
• assessed and recommended budgets

and, advice from the ARC Eligibility Committee which:

• considered eligibility issues identified by ARC staff, the ARC College of Experts or independent assessors
• where required, sought clarification from Administering Organisations with respect to issues raised
• made recommendations to the Acting CEO in respect of ineligible proposals.

This report reflects the approved recommendations by the Minister. Unless otherwise specified, figures presented in this report exclude withdrawn proposals.

Selection Criteria

Selection criteria and corresponding weightings for Discovery Indigenous 2017 proposals are:

Project Quality and Innovation	40%
Investigator(s)	35%
Project Research Environment	15%
Feasibility and Benefit	10%

The ARC assessment process for 2017 used 80 College of Experts members across five discipline panels and was managed in the Research Management System (RMS). A total of 84 independent assessors’ reports were submitted to the ARC for Discovery Indigenous 2017.

Funding levels and duration

Funding of between $30,000 and $500,000 per annum for up to five years may be awarded for each Discovery Indigenous proposal. In addition to a minimum of $30,000 in project costs per annum a proposal, Chief Investigators who are Indigenous Australians may be awarded the annual salary contribution called Discovery Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Award (DAATSIA) providing the annual total does not exceed $500,000. The DAATSIA may be awarded at one of five salary levels, either $97,708 or $114,950 or $149,436 or $172,427 or $206,911, (2015$) including 30 per cent on-costs.

Summary of Outcomes

The ARC received a total of 31 proposals for Discovery Indigenous for funding commencing in 2017, the same as for Discovery Indigenous for funding commencing in 2016.

The overall success rate for Discovery Indigenous for funding commencing in 2017 is 35.5 per cent, with a lower percentage of allocation of requested funds compared to Discovery Indigenous for funding commencing in 2016 (Table 1).

Of the 31 proposals considered in this round, 15 included funding request for Discovery Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Award (DAATSIA) at one of five salary levels. The overall success rate for Discovery Indigenous proposals requesting DAATSIA in 2017 is 26.7 per cent (Table 2).

Table 1. Comparison of proposal numbers, success rates, requested and allocated funds for approved Discovery Indigenous proposals from 2016 to 2017

Funding year	Proposals considered	Proposals approved	Success rate	Requested funds over project life (all proposals)	Requested funds over project life (approved proposals)	Approved funds over project life (approved proposals)	Approved funds as % of requested funds
2016	31	10	32.3%	$20,945,638	$5,441,127	$4,059,356	74.6%
2017	31	11	35.5%	$23,490,410	$7,154,177	$4,634,891	64.8%

Table 2.  Success rates for Discovery Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Award (DAATSIA) for approved Discovery Indigenous proposals 2017

DAATSIA Salary Level	Proposals with DAATSIA considered	Proposals with DAATSIA approved	Success rate
Salary Level 1	3	1	33.3%
Salary Level 2	4	1	25.3%
Salary Level 3	3	1	33.3%
Salary Level 4	3	1	33.3%
Salary Level 5	2	0	0.0%
Total	15	4	26.7%

Outcomes by discipline panels

Table 3. Comparison of proposal numbers, success rates and requested and allocated funds for approved Discovery Indigenous 2017 proposals by discipline panel

Panel †	Proposals considered	Proposals  approved	Success rate	Requested funds over project life for all proposals considered	Requested funds over project life for approved proposals	Approved funds over project  life (approved proposals)	Approved funds as % of requested funds
BSB	2	1	50.0%	$1,146,437	$444,079	$372,474	83.9%
EIC	2	1	50.0%	$1,405,874	$556,732	$473,000	85.0%
HCA	13	4	30.8%	$10,215,222	$3,133,525	$2,020,104	64.5%
MPCE	1	1	100.0%	$720,013	$720,013	$355,000	49.3%
SBE	13	4	30.8%	$10,002,864	$2,299,828	$1,414,313	61.5%
Total	31	11	35.5%	$23,490,410	$7,154,177	$4,634,891	64.8%

† BSB—Biological Sciences and Biotechnology; EIC—Engineering, Information and Computing Sciences, MPCE—Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry and Earth Sciences; SBE—Social, Behavioural and Economic Sciences; HCA—Humanities and Creative Arts

Outcomes by Science and Research Priorities

Table 4. Approved funding and success rate for Discovery Indigenous 2017 proposals by Science and Research Priorities

Science and Research Priorities	Proposals considered	Proposals approved	Success  rate (%)	Approved funds (over project life)
Environmental change	2	2	100.0%	$727,474
Health	18	7	38.9%	$2,837,713
Resources	1	0	0.0%	$0
Soil and water	2	0	0.0%	$0
Unspecified	8	2	25.0%	$1,069,704
Total	31	11	35.5%	$4,634,891
Total within Science and Research Priorities	23	9	39.1%	$3,565,187
Percentage within Science and Research Priorities (%)	74.2%	81.8%		76.9%

Outcomes by Administering Organisation

Table 5. Numbers of proposals and success rates for approved Discovery Indigenous 2017 proposals by Administering Organisation

Administering Organisation	Proposals considered	Proposals  approved	Success rate (%)	Approved funds over project life ($)
Australian Capital Territory	1	0	0.0%	$0
University of Canberra	1	0	0.0%	$0
New South Wales	9	2	22.2%	$660,400
Charles Sturt University	1	1	100.0%	$348,000
Macquarie University	1	0	0.0%	$0
Southern Cross University	1	0	0.0%	$0
The University of New South Wales	2	0	0.0%	$0
The University of Sydney	1	1	100.0%	$312,400
University of Technology, Sydney	2	0	0.0%	$0
University of Wollongong	1	0	0.0%	$0
Northern Territory	2	1	50.0%	$358,313
Charles Darwin University	2	1	50.0%	$358,313
Queensland	5	2	40.0%	$975,000
Griffith University	1	0	0.0%	$0
Queensland University of Technology	1	0	0.0%	$0
The University of Queensland	3	2	66.7%	$975,000
South Australia	1	1	100.0%	$337,000
University of South Australia	1	1	100.0%	$337,000
Victoria	11	3	27.3%	$1,200,474
Deakin University	2	0	0.0%	$0
Monash University	3	0	0.0%	$0
RMIT University	1	0	0.0%	$0
The University of Melbourne	4	3	75.0%	$1,200,474
Victoria University	1	0	0.0%	$0
Western Australia	2	2	100.0%	$1,103,704
Murdoch University	1	1	100.0%	$371,000
The University of Western Australia	1	1	100.0%	$732,704
Total	31	11	35.5%	$4,634,891

Career age and gender

A total of 92 Chief Investigators (CIs), including 15 Discovery Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Award Candidates (DAATSIA), were named on all proposals considered in this round. Of these, 36 were female CIs and 56 were male CIs. The success rate for female CIs and male CIs in this round of Discovery Indigenous proposals is 27.8 per cent and 35.7 per cent respectively (Figure 1). Of 15 CIs who applied for DAATSIA, the success rate for female DAATSIA Candidates and male DAATSIA Candidates is 12.5 per cent and 42.9 per cent respectively (Table 6).

Success rates of CIs by career age and gender in the current Discovery Indigenous round are represented in Figure 1 below. CIs who did not specify the date of completion of their PhD or who do not hold a PhD (10.9 per cent) are not represented in the figure below.

Figure 1. Participation and success rate of Chief Investigators (CIs) in Discovery Indigenous 2017 by gender and career age*

* Career age is calculated as years since PhD.

 

Table 6. Success rates by gender for Discovery Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Award (DAATSIA) Candidates, for approved Discovery Indigenous proposals 2017

Gender of DAATSIA Candidates	No of DAATSIA considered	No of DAATSIA approved	Success rate
Female	8	1	12.5%
Male	7	3	42.9%
Total	15	4	26.7%

International Collaboration

Applicants foreshadowed 23 instances of collaboration with researchers in seven overseas locations on nine proposals. Of the proposals approved for funding, four foreshadowed 11 instances of collaboration with researchers in seven overseas locations.

Figure 2. International collaborations by location in approved Discovery Indigenous 2017 proposals